Yesterday, the mayor signed the Baseline Hillside Ordinance, which is designed to keep people from building big box, property line to property line McMansions in the Hills (a similar ordinance was passed for the flats back in 2008). The ordinance applies to any hillside plot that's zoned for a single family house, and according to the AP, uses "a formula that takes into account parcel size, steepness of slopes and other factors." The office of City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, who introduced the motion, explains more in a press release:
In order to diminish out-of-scale development in the City’s hillside neighborhoods, the regulations address Floor Area Ratios (FAR – building size to lot size ratio), Height, and Grading...this Ordinance also creates an overlay tool that will allow individual neighborhoods to adjust the baseline limits to better fit their community’s character and scale...The new regulations change the way height is measured to a method which follows the slope of a lot, and allows for buildings to step up/down a hillside and result in more aesthetically pleasing development." The rules go into effect May 9, so you're going to have to hurry if you want to slap up an out-of-proportion mess while you still can.
· Rules limit size of Los Angeles hillside homes [AP]
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